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The Lark - Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA
The Lark - Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA
The Lark - Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA
The Lark - Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA
The Lark - Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA

The Lark - Santa Barbara

4.6
4.6
2306 Reviews
$30 and under
Contemporary American
The Lark pays homage to the history of California train travel and tributes the treasured and long gone Santa Barbara Fish Market, built in the 1920’s as a commercial fish processing plant, shipping their seafood products throughout the state by rail. With an imaginative yet approachable menu created by the gifted Jason Paluska, The Lark celebrates everything found around Santa Barbara County – wineries, farms, ocean and natural beauty. The stunning design strives to connect to the past and the future, using discovered objects from the past and blending them with modern, urban and industrial materials to spectacular effect.

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Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Cuisines
    Contemporary American, Tapas / Small Plates, American
  • Hours of operation
    Dinner: 5:00 p.m. - Closing Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday Late Night Bar Menu available CLOSED MONDAY
  • Phone number
    (805) 284-0370
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Executive chef
    Jason Paluska
  • Private party facilities
    The Pullman Room private event space hosts up to 55 people for a seated dinner and 80 people for standing reception. The Lark restaurant hosts 130-seat indoor/outdoor restaurant space and is available for guest buyouts.
  • Private party contact
    Aran Klingensmith: (805) 705-8895
  • Neighborhood
    Santa Barbara
  • Parking details
    Complimentary valet parking available or use nearby street parking. Substantial parking is available at the Santa Barbara train station, just a block away.
  • Public transit
    Enjoy a train ride to Santa Barbara from southern or northern California and meet us at The Lark. No driving required.
  • Entertainment
    Upcoming events:Make memories Christmas Eve at The Lark! Enjoy holiday specials in addition to The Lark's a la carte menu. Ring in the New Year at The Lark! Chef Paluska has New Year's Eve specials and a complimentary sparkling toast.
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar Dining, Bar/Lounge, Beer, BYO Wine, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Happy Hour, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Wheelchair Access, Wine

What 2,306 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

4.6
4.6 based on all time ratings
  • 4.5Food
  • 4.5Service
  • 4.6Ambience
  • 4.1Value

NoiseModerate

2,306 Reviews
  1. davem

    San Francisco

    2 reviews

    3.0

    2 reviews

    Reviewed on June 15, 2019

    overall3foodserviceambience
    tiny martinis. Unusual and delicious food. Crowded. Noisy.

    1 person found this helpful

  2. CaliforniaRed

    Orange County

    35 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    35 reviews

    Reviewed on June 3, 2019

    overall5foodserviceambience
    Delicious food, great ambiance and terrific location!

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  3. OpenTable Diner

    Los Angeles

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined on March 17, 2019

    overall3food4service2ambience3
    I’ve been to the lark many times and have had a fabulous experience. This time was different. We were sat outside and had a very inattentive waiter. We asked for our food to be spaced out and we received every app/snack portion at the same time. The meals came very quickly after. It felt like they were trying to rush us out when we were there for a special occasion.

    1 person found this helpful

  4. RonS

    Kansas City

    27 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    27 reviews

    Dined on March 17, 2019

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Family vacation final dinner

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  5. Lili

    Greater Boston

    4 reviews

    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on February 28, 2019

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Kyle the bartender was fantastic, that being said, so was the entire staff! Best meal and experience on this trip without question! Thanks!

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  6. sophiegray

    Central Coast

    6 reviews

    5.0

    6 reviews

    Reviewed on February 27, 2019

    overall5foodserviceambience
    Delicious food, great service, cool atmosphere. My only complaint is that it gets a little loud in the dining room. Otherwise, this is an amazing place to visit. You won't be disappointed.

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  7. StuartM

    Seattle

    13 reviews

    vip
    2.0

    13 reviews

    Dined on February 27, 2019

    overall2food1service3ambience4
    Utterly ridiculous. The most convoluted dinner menu I’ve ever seen. Not sure what this restaurant is trying to be. It’s a concept, but I’m hard pressed to define exactly what it is. Food over priced and not well prepared. A so called small “carafe” of wine was no different than two glasses, and more expensive. Very nice, attractive ambiance, though. Very disappointing.

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  8. Mike

    Las Vegas

    27 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    27 reviews

    Dined on February 25, 2019

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Always wonderful. Best restaurant in Santa Barbara.

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  9. NateD

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 15, 2019

    overall5food5service5ambience4
    Our server was wonderful and the food was delicious. Everything we tasted was seasoned perfectly. I cannot wait to return.

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  10. TannerB

    Los Angeles

    23 reviews

    vip
    2.0

    23 reviews

    Dined on February 14, 2019

    overall2food2service3ambience4
    We’ve been to the Lark many times before. It is our favorite spot in Santa Barbara. Maybe our expectations were a lot to live up to, but our most recent experience fell short. The service was not what it has been in the past and the food, at least what we ordered, was nothing to write home about. We will almost certainly give The Lark another try, as it has been so wonderful in the past.

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  11. TammyM

    Houston

    19 reviews

    vip
    2.0

    19 reviews

    Dined on February 9, 2019

    overall2food3service1ambience1
    The food was fine, the service was poor. The mood in the restaurant is frantic with servers, hostesses all running around! You are rushed, left with no water on your table and not given the proper utensils. This was our first trip to Santa Barbara and read The Lark was a “must”. We were very disappointed.

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  12. CathleenO

    Central Coast

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on February 1, 2019

    overall4food4service5ambience3
    Good restaurant. The couple of items we ordered, roasted Brussel sprouts and a arugula salad, were excellent, but were the only options for my vegan daughter. I did comment to our server about the lack of any vegan entrees on the menu, which was surprising in a modern, hip restaurant. It was my daughter's 19th birthday, and I had travelled from San Diego to Santa Barbara to take her out for her special day. The server did surprise us at the end with a serving of vegan avocado ice cream, which was a nice gesture.

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  13. AmritS

    Los Angeles

    4 reviews

    4.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on January 28, 2019

    overall4food3service4ambience4
    The restaurant is little bit of a hype - the food is ok ok, nothing out of the ordinary - sitting in the patio with the fire on was a salvation.

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  14. LisaR

    San Francisco

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on January 28, 2019

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    This place was amazing. From the outstanding food to the knowledgeable and friendly service, it was definitely top 5 dining experiences ever! The food was like art - each dish that came out was more beautiful than the last one. I wish I lived closer so I could frequent The Lark.

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  15. BirthdayGirl

    San Francisco

    30 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    30 reviews

    Dined on January 28, 2019

    overall4food5service5ambience4
    The food here is amazing and so is the wait staff. It does get a little noisy when it’s busy, but not too bad. I come to this restaurant every time I’m in town.

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  16. geee

    Los Angeles

    38 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    38 reviews

    Dined on January 27, 2019

    overall4food5service5ambience4
    Food was very good..in fact, delicious..but the prices are outrageous for the portion size and for that reason I will not be back..$36 for 3 scallops and $34 for one fillet of branzino..too much

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  17. DebraG

    Los Angeles

    2 reviews

    3.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on January 27, 2019

    overall3food3service2ambience4
    Great and lively atmosphere but really bad timing on serving the food. We felt very rushed. We received our salad and side vegetable dish less than 10 minutes after sitting down and even before my drink. We had requested that the vegetable come with our entrees. One of the entrees was served 15 minutes before the second entree so I got to watch my date eat his dinner while I waited for mine.

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  18. OpenTable Diner

    Los Angeles

    3 reviews

    4.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on January 26, 2019

    overall4food5service5ambience5
    I wish we could have sat indoors given that it was cold

    Is this helpful?

  19. Shagam

    Los Angeles

    10 reviews

    5.0

    10 reviews

    Dined on January 26, 2019

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    This place was a find near what was the Fess Parker. Excellent food; excellent service. I recommend for all special occasions and just a great night out with friends.

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  20. MatthewH

    Greater Boston

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on January 25, 2019

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    The brussel sprouts were one of the best things I've ever eaten. Everything was great though, and the service was excellent.

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  21. MichelleM

    New York Area

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on January 25, 2019

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    The food was great. You have to do the Brussel sprouts and risotto is they are available. Those were my favs. Ben our waiter was wonderful and very helpful.

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  22. Jessica

    Los Angeles

    38 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    38 reviews

    Dined on January 24, 2019

    overall5food5service5ambience4
    One of the best spots in SB! We had a truly amazing meal based on the recommendations of the bartender (thanks Wyatt!) and had wonderful cocktails to boot. It's a cute space but definitely a bit loud, otherwise we loved the vibe and everything we ordered. Service was great and everyone was so nice!

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  23. Jersee

    Los Angeles

    23 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    23 reviews

    Dined on January 24, 2019

    overall4food4service5ambience4
    Our experience was wonderful Service was really good and menu very interesting

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  24. OpenTable Diner

    London

    6 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    6 reviews

    Dined on January 23, 2019

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Great food and wine on a cool hip environment

    Is this helpful?

  25. OpenTable Diner

    New York Area

    10 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    10 reviews

    Dined on January 21, 2019

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Great atmosphere, original menu, attentive service.

    Is this helpful?

  26. NatashaB

    Los Angeles

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on January 21, 2019

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    everything was beyond delicious, I'm dreaming of your house made fromage blanc....

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  27. OpenTable Diner

    San Francisco

    1 review

    4.0

    1 review

    Dined on January 20, 2019

    overall4food4service4ambience5
    Had to wait an hour despite arriving on time for our reservation. The vegetarian options are poor and all the plates are generally too salty.

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  28. TonyAndreas

    1 review

    3.0

    1 review

    Dined on January 19, 2019

    overall3food4service3ambience4
    The Lark has great food and drinks. They dropped the ball on my wife’s birthday but we still had fun and enjoyed our food. I wouldn’t recommend the Branzino. I think the fish is overrated but I liked the flavor of the complete dish. My wife enjoyed her Risotto as well. Server was blah. This was our second time there. We went for my birthday back in September. Our server last time was amazing! I think the energy and personality and attentiveness of the server can make or break the entire visit.

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  29. ElleC

    Vancouver

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on January 19, 2019

    overall5food5service4ambience5
    Awesome spot! Most food was exceptional. Service was friendly but not outstanding.

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  30. pudljmpr

    Los Angeles

    18 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    18 reviews

    Dined on January 19, 2019

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    To us this is one of the best restaurants in Santa Barbara. The menu is creative and always good. The service is always spot on. Every time we pass through Santa Barbara we eat here.

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  31. ZoeJ

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on January 18, 2019

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Food was incredible, mix of flavours. Service was impecable and atmosphere W was great.solo diner.

    Is this helpful?

  32. saschas

    Los Angeles

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on January 6, 2019

    overall5food4service5ambience4
    The Lark has been touted and praised by many friends. We went there for the first time on our anniversary, the receptionist picked up on that, and we were given champagne to start with, and the waiter was addressing us by name, and with much enthusiasm and obvious love for the restaurant. He had recommendations and was also very knowledgeable about the food preparation and the wines. All in all it was a wonderful anniversary experience.

    Is this helpful?

  33. OpenTable Diner

    Orange County

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on January 5, 2019

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    The Lark has amazing food, great ambiance, and wonderful service! You can’t go wrong! We came here to celebrate my husband’s birthday and they made it very special. We can’t wait to go back again next time we are in Santa Barbara!

    Is this helpful?

  34. DamienB

    New York Area

    2 reviews

    vip
    3.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on January 5, 2019

    overall3food2service4ambience4
    We loved this restaurant the first couple times we came here, but this visit was very disappointing. None of the dishes clicked in terms of flavor/balance. Our pasta dish had a sauce that was very acidic and generally unappetizing. And the pear salad was overly dressed with bland pears and hardly any persimmon - we needed some sweetness from the fruit to balance the dish but there was none. The scallop dish tasted ok but there were so many components on the dish that we totally lost the scallops ... most of the ingredients were totally unnecessary.

    Is this helpful?

  35. KatyV

    Philadelphia

    4 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on January 3, 2019

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    I went back to the Lark again after a few months and was not disappointed. I had friends visiting from out of town and there was no question where we were going to eat - The Lark! The menu celebrates local farmers, fisherman and winemakers and brings together the perfect balance of elevated chic with southern comfort. Some of my favorites included the hangar steak tartare served on chicharrones with a mini Budweiser beer (so fun!), the title gems wedge salad, the half roasted chicken, and chicken-fried oysters. I tried the Kaleidoscope Eyes cocktail for the first time and fell in love with this modern take on a Moscow mule.

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  36. OpenTable Diner

    Los Angeles

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on January 3, 2019

    overall5food5service5ambience4
    Delicious popcorn popped in sage oil and tossed in cinnamon, sugar, and salt! Our server was wonderful about making suggestions. We ordered the arugula and pear autumn salad, Brussels sprouts, and the vegan plate. All were wonderful with dairy and animal omitted.

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  37. PaulaS

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on January 3, 2019

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Best dining experience in SB. Surprised at how many families (kids) dine here. The noise we experienced was kid noise. Food is impeccable. Service is expert. We will return again and again.

    Is this helpful?

  38. Jessica

    Greater Boston

    3 reviews

    vip
    3.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on January 1, 2019

    overall3food3service5ambience4
    We got reservations for NYE while visiting Santa Barbara and were so excited — unfortunately, the food really didn't live up to our expectations... to the point where we finally said something to our server, who was so gracious and understanding. Perhaps it was due to the busy night, or maybe we just ordered wrong, but it felt as if the ideas were there but the execution lacked follow-through (and flavor). Oh well. Pretty space though! It's also worth noting that we ate at their bakery, Helena's, for breakfast a few days before and it was delicious!

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  39. Sarahh

    Central Coast

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on January 1, 2019

    overall5food5service5ambience5
    Our waitress was amazing! So friendly and quick to anticipate our needs. Good was delicious. Always exceeds our expectations!!

    Is this helpful?

  40. AmMo

    Los Angeles

    5 reviews

    vip
    4.0

    5 reviews

    Dined on January 1, 2019

    overall4food4service4ambience4
    My NYE dinner at The Lark was great! Delicious and creative food in an excellent atmosphere.

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

The Lark - Santa Barbara is rated 4.6 stars by 2306 OpenTable diners.

Not available on OpenTable

Unfortunately, this restaurant is not on the OpenTable reservation network.

If you like, we'll notify you by email if this restaurant joins.


Is this your restaurant?
Claim this listing
Google Map for The Lark - Santa Barbara

131 Anacapa St. Suite A, Santa Barbara, CA 93101

Additional information

  • Neighborhood
    Santa Barbara
  • Hours of operation
    Dinner: 5:00 p.m. - Closing Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday Late Night Bar Menu available CLOSED MONDAY
  • Cuisines
    Contemporary American, Tapas / Small Plates, American
  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Parking details
    Complimentary valet parking available or use nearby street parking. Substantial parking is available at the Santa Barbara train station, just a block away.
  • Public transit
    Enjoy a train ride to Santa Barbara from southern or northern California and meet us at The Lark. No driving required.
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive chef
    Jason Paluska
  • Entertainment
    Upcoming events:Make memories Christmas Eve at The Lark! Enjoy holiday specials in addition to The Lark's a la carte menu. Ring in the New Year at The Lark! Chef Paluska has New Year's Eve specials and a complimentary sparkling toast.
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar Dining, Bar/Lounge, Beer, BYO Wine, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Happy Hour, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Phone number
    (805) 284-0370
  • Private party facilities
    The Pullman Room private event space hosts up to 55 people for a seated dinner and 80 people for standing reception. The Lark restaurant hosts 130-seat indoor/outdoor restaurant space and is available for guest buyouts.
  • Private party contact
    Aran Klingensmith: (805) 705-8895
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